Understanding Ovulation It s imperative to understand ovulation in order to get pregnant more quickly. I thought my husband and I could just have sex often and would eventually get pregnant. However, I soon realized I had to have a pretty good idea when ovulation occurred, and ovulation prediction needed to become second nature. It can work out that you just get pregnant without any ovulation prediction methods, but in order to get pregnant faster most couples need to focus more and find out the very best times to have intercourse in order to speed up the process. First, let s talk about what ovulation is. What Is Ovulation? Ovulation is the period of the menstrual cycle when the mature egg is released from its follicle in the ovary. This happens about midway (day 14 of a 28-day cycle) through the menstrual cycle, but varies from woman to woman, especially those with irregular cycles. One myth about ovulation is that every woman ovulates every month on day 14. This is just an estimate based on a 28-day cycle. Not every woman has a 28-day cycle, and those who normally do have a 28-day cycle may have months when their cycle is longer or shorter. Furthermore, a 28-day cycle doesn t guarantee that you will ovulate on day 14. Every woman is different, and every month has the potential to be different even with a woman who is normally very regular. Let me also explain ovulation a little further. Bear with me if you understand these ovulation truths, because I have received many e-mails from women who are very confused about their fertile time of month and when it s most important to focus on baby-making intercourse. You have a fertile window of about 5-7 days. What this means is that you can get pregnant by having sex on any of these fertile days. Ovulation is the simple act of a woman s egg being released. That egg is viable for a short period of time - about 12 hours. At that point, it is no longer alive and cannot be fertilized in order to create a baby. Therefore, a couple needs to anticipate when ovulation will occur in order to get as much fresh, healthy, strong sperm waiting for the egg s release. Sperm can live up to 72 hours in the proper environment, so knowing the exact time of ovulation is not necessary. It is, however, important to have a good idea of when ovulation will be before it occurs within a 24-48 hour window in order to time intercourse as close to ovulation as possible. This is even more important if there is an issue with the quality or quantity of sperm.
Methods of Determining Ovulation BBT (or basal body temperature) charting is a fantastic way to track ovulation. This method tells you AFTER THE FACT when ovulation occurred, which is VERY beneficial for getting to know your cycle. A basal thermometer is an ultra-sensitive thermometer that tracks your body's tiniest temperature shift and helps you calculate ovulation. OPK (or ovulation predictor kit) testing is another excellent means for determining your ovulation date. The strips are like a pregnancy test stick, only they measure LH (or luteinizing hormone) instead of HCG (the pregnancy hormone). Cervical mucus observation during ovulation and approaching ovulation is another very reliable method of determining ovulation and a great way to know that your most fertile days have arrived. BBT Charting BBT charting is the first ovulation tool I recommend starting with, as charting your basal temperature will give you so much information about your cycle whether or not you re ovulating and also whether or not you ovulate about the same time each month. You will also be able to tell whether your luteal phase is too short or not. (We will go over luteal phase in more detail later on). Charting your basal temperature will not let you know beforehand when you will ovulate, however. You will need to utilize other methods of ovulation prediction as well in order to best pin-point when to have baby-making intercourse. As you chart your basal temperature daily, you will notice slight (or not-so-slight) variations in temperature. In the first part of your cycle before ovulation, your temperatures should be slightly lower consistently typically ranging from 96 to 97.5 degrees Fahrenheit. Then ovulation will bring about higher temperatures for the rest of your cycle (in the luteal phase) up to your next menstrual bleeding typically ranging from 97.6 to 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. This rising of your temperature will help you know when ovulation has occurred after the fact. This
lets you know you can rest from baby-making sex and enter the two week wait to see if you re pregnant that month or not. Over several months of charting my BBT, I became aware that I typically ovulated between day 14 and 16 of my cycle, and my cycles lasted anywhere from 27 to 32 days long. This helped me to plan ahead in my mind for when I would likely be focusing on baby-making intercourse. Here is a free printable BBT chart courtesy of Baby Center. If you want to track your BBT's online, you can use OvaGraph by Fairhaven Health. OvaGraph is one that Fairhaven Health makes available for their customers or those who know about their free charting software. You can purchase a basal thermometer at this link the same one I use. OPK Testing Ovulation kits are crucial when it comes to determining ovulation. I like to use an OPK (ovulation predictor kit) along with other tools such as BBT charting and cervical mucus observation. Using different ovulation testing methods together will give you optimal results and sky rocket you to your goal of pregnancy much more quickly. With that said, I will describe to you the 3 basic types of ovulation kits and a little about each. 1 - LH strips and mid-stream cartridges are simple to use and less expensive than other OPK's. They measure LH (or luteinizing hormone) in the urine either by dipping in urine or urinating directly on them.
These can be confusing, but I will help to clear up any confusion you may encounter to better understand these tests and their benefits. I've heard many complaints of evaporation lines and not being able to clearly tell when ovulation will be. This confusion seems to be mainly due to continuing to test after a positive result or other issues such as PCOS. (Women with PCOS or extremely long cycles should invest in a fertility monitor, which is detailed below.) The only difference between the mid-stream ovulation kits and the test strips is that the mid-stream is held under the flow of urine and the test strips are dipped in the urine (as in the above picture). Mid-stream tests also cost a little more than the simple urine test strips. They are very inexpensive but can be tricky for some women to use (mainly due to lack of proper instruction). LH testing tends to be more difficult and less accurate for women with PCOS or extremely long or irregular cycles. Fertility monitors tend to work very well for these women and are well worth the initial investment. Purchase LH strips at this link. Purchase LH mid-stream cassettes at this link. 2 - Fertility monitors use saliva to detect the LH surge, are way more advanced, and can detect when you ovulate up to 7 days away. They are more costly, but well worth it if you go with a reputable monitor. If you have had trouble with ovulation strips in the past or you have PCOS, it is well worth the money to invest in a fertility monitor. It is much better to go with this option than much more expensive (and stressful) fertility treatments. Monitors do not use urine sticks, so you don't have to pee on a stick or in a cup. If you've been told that ovulation strips are not effective for you (or you have experienced that first hand), then fertility monitors are a better choice. As you may already know, having an irregular cycle can make it difficult to predict your ovulation date. Many fertility monitors cannot deal with irregular cycles and provide inaccurate results. I recommend either the OvaCue or the Clearblue Easy, both very high quality monitors with excellent user ratings.
The OvaCue monitor is very effective, especially when used in combination with the vaginal sensor. (You can purchase the monitor separately or in a bundle with the vaginal monitor included.) Purchase the OvaCue fertility monitor. And here is the Clearblue Easy, which has excellent user reviews as well: Purchase ClearBlue Easy fertility monitor. 3 - Ovulation microscopes detect approaching ovulation using a saliva sample, but these can be confusing when trying to interpret the results, as they use a saliva sample to detect ovulation by a ferning pattern seen through the microscope. I highly recommend starting with OPK testing strips or cassettes (#1 above). They both test for the luteinizing hormone (LH) peak that occurs right before ovulation. Done right, this test can be very beneficial for knowing when you are about to ovulate within 12-36 hours.
For those trying to conceive quickly, this test is worth the time and effort it takes to do properly each month. The cassettes are basically the same test just a different way to apply the urine. The strips are dipped into the urine, and the cassettes have a drop of urine applied with a special applicator to the proper window. NOTE: If you have PCOS or irregular cycles, I would recommend starting off with the strips. If you find that they are too confusing for you or don t work accurately for you based on your condition, then you probably need to move on to the monitor. (I would greatly appreciate you using one of my affiliate links above if you do choose to purchase the monitor, as I will get a small commission for recommending it to you.) Next, I will go over how to use the strips, as I am very familiar with these. When approaching about day 10 of my cycle I would begin to use my OPK test strips in order to know when my LH was spiking. The time you start testing depends on the length of your cycle. If you are just beginning, it s best to start on the earlier side. Once you know how long your typical cycle is, then you can better predict when to start testing with OPK s each cycle. Here is a general guide to when you should start using the strips each month. Cycle length of 21-22 days, start on day 6 of your cycle. Cycle length of 23-24 days, start on day 7 of your cycle. Cycle length of 25-26 days, start on day 8 or 9 of your cycle. Cycle length of 27-29 days, start on days 10-12 of your cycle. Once my LH strip was positive I would plan to have intercourse that night and the next (if possible) or skip a night and plan to have sex the following night. Here are some pictures of negative, almost positive, and positive tests. (Note that almost positive is not positive. The test line must be as dark or darker than the control line, unlike pregnancy tests, which are positive even with a faint line.)
Negative Test The control line is always present and is the line closest to the green section. Note in the picture below that the second line, which is the test line, is lighter thus, the test is negative. At this point, I will plan to test the next day. Almost Positive Test In the strip below, the test line is almost as dark as the control line here, but not quite. It must be as dark or darker in order to be considered positive. I will test again the next day, at which time it will probably be positive. Can't hurt to have sex on this day as long as there are no sperm issues. Note that what looks in the picture like a third line is actually just a bend in the test strip. Positive Test The test line is clearly darker here, so this test is definitely positive. Ovulation should occur within 12 to 36 hours of this positive test. I recommend not testing any more during this cycle, as it will only cause confusion. Have intercourse this evening and the next day if possible. Or skip a day if there are low sperm count issues. Continue to take your basal temperature each morning until you get a rise that shows ovulation has occurred.
(Note: If the male partner has semen issues, it s best to always skip a day in between baby-making intercourse in order for the sperm count to build back up and improve the chance of the strongest, healthiest sperm making their way to their destination.) Cervical Mucus Observation Some of you may wonder what cervical mucus is. Before I had trouble conceiving, I had no idea. Then the more I researched my cycle I learned a lot of new words and terms! Cervical mucus is a female fluid that is very, very important in helping you get pregnant, and it's imperative to be able to increase fertile cervical mucus if you're deficient. Cervical mucus is produced by the cervix and increases in quantity as ovulation approaches. This fluid plays a vital role in nourishing and transporting sperm into the uterus. If the fluid is too thick or there is very little, the sperm cannot swim through it and thus don't make it to their destination. This is often called "hostile cervical mucus." When you create a more fertile environment for sperm by improving and increasing your cervical mucus (or CM), your pregnancy chances will be much greater in any given month. What should my cervical fluid look like? For maximum fertility, you should have egg white cervical mucus. In other words, the mucus should be plentiful and drippy wet. Fertile cervical fluid should be slippery and wet like a raw egg white. It should stretch, but not be sticky. If you were to examine a bit between your fingers, it should hang down and not stick as a glob to your finger. Crack open a raw egg if you want to know what consistency you're looking for. How do I examine my cervical fluid? First, make sure you have freshly washed hands and clean nails (preferably not extremely long nails when doing this). Stick your index and middle fingers into your vagina and find your cervix (if you are nearing ovulation, the cervix will be higher up and a little harder to reach).
Hold one finger on each side of the cervical opening and gently press to release a little mucus. Pull your fingers out and evaluate what you have. Generally, you will only have fertile mucus a few days before ovulation with it getting more and more slippery as ovulation approaches and drying up shortly thereafter. Ideally, your cervical fluid will practically "fall" out of you as you sit on the toilet, or you will notice a slipperiness when wiping with toilet paper. During my most fertile cycles (and when I conceived my sons), this was the character of my fluid. How do I tell fertile CM from other fluids (like semen)? With all the baby-making intercourse, it s easy to confuse semen with your cervical fluid. Semen tends to be thinner and breaks more easily when stretched. It can also be more cloudy or white in color and rubbery. Egg white CM tends to be clear, shiny, and stretchy. Seminal fluid tends to dry more quickly on the fingers than fertile CM. Arousal fluid and lubricants can also be mistaken for fertile CM. Most lubricants should not be used. However, there are some good lubricants that are safe to use while trying to conceive. Pre-Seed is one of those. I have used it and highly recommend it if you re having trouble with dryness. Arousal fluid will dry on the finger more quickly than egg white CM and won t typically be stretchy just wet. A vaginal infection, such as a yeast infection, can cause thick, white fluid, sometimes with chunkiness and sometimes yellowish or greenish in color. Antihistamines can cause fluid to dry up. Normal healthy cervical fluid should not have an unpleasant odor or be lumpy. Once you began to observe your own fluid, you will begin to know your normal. Then, when it is off you will know something is abnormal that you need to get examined further by a professional. So, what can I do to increase or improve cervical mucus? There are several very good options for improving and increasing your cervical fluid. I'll list each of them here with more detail after each one. Water and lots of it. This is a very important fluid for everybody in every situation. You probably know that your body is made up of 70% water and how vital it is for health and wellness. But water is also very important to maintain and increase your fertility and your cervical mucus as ovulation is approaching. Make sure you have a water treatment system in your home, though. Tap water just barely gets by concerning safety (and still yet fails many times). And with bottled water, you just don't know what you're getting. Everybody needs a really good water treatment system for their kitchen. The price is well worth it and will definitely be cheaper than bottled water (and better for you) in the long run. Green tea The latest studies have proven that women who drank more than one half cup of green tea every day doubled their odds of conceiving. Green tea comes from the same plant as
black tea. The difference is in the processing. Green tea is not roasted or fermented, so it maintains more of the antioxidant properties than black tea. Green tea is also naturally lower in caffeine than black tea. This higher antioxidant content as well as lower caffeine levels can contribute to increased fertility. Evening Primrose Oil (EPO) is a source of the Omega-6 fatty acid GLA (gamma linolenic acid). GLA is a fatty acid that is converted in the body into prostaglandins, which have been shown to promote overall female hormonal balance and may also support a wide range of bodily functions. EPO helps improve the quality of cervical mucus, thus enhancing fertility. (See the Resources section for purchase information.) Fertile CM is a supplement developed by a doctor to help improve the quantity and quality of your cervical mucus. It is also designed to help support a healthy uterine lining for implantation. (See the Resources section for purchase information.) Guaifenesin is an expectorant drug that is taken typically to clear congestion in the throat and lungs. However, many women have taken it in order to thin their cervical mucus. This will not help if you don t have adequate cervical fluid. In other words, it won t create fluid for you. However, it has been known to help thin the CM that you do have in order to make it more easy for sperm to travel. It is not a natural product, so if you re looking for natural this is not a good option for you. Do You Have Irregular Cycles? How Can You Know? The best way to tell if you have irregular cycles is to begin to track your cycles. The more tools you use to track your monthly cycles, the better you will be at determining when you ovulate. This is absolutely crucial to timing baby-making sex, especially if you ovulate irregularly. If you don t ovulate every month, this will show up with BBT charting as having no thermal shift. This thermal shift is the temperature rise that occurs at ovulation. If you re not ovulating you won t have a noticeable shift. Irregular ovulation can also be detected by using LH strips. If you have no positive result even when doing everything right, there may be a problem with ovulation. Here again, you will better be able to tell for sure if you re ovulating if you re utilizing more than one ovulation tool to detect your ovulation. I used BBT charting, OPK (or LH) strips, and cervical mucus observation. All three of these gave me a pretty clear idea of when I was ovulating each month. That helped me zero in on when to have babymaking sex and get pregnant more quickly. If you don t have any idea, then you re just guessing each month. Even with knowing pretty clearly, that s no guarantee that you ll get pregnant in any given month. And if you re not using any tools at all, and you re simply guessing, you really are making it much more difficult to get pregnant sooner rather than later.
Other Ovulation Symptoms Some women experience cramping during ovulation or ovulation pain. This is called mittelschmerz, which means "middle pain" in German. Many women experience a cramping-type sensation during ovulation. Sometimes this cramping sensation has felt like trapped stomach gas to me. Many times I will also have light spotting along with the cramping during ovulation. The bleeding during ovulation could be caused by a couple different things. One theory is that the egg bursting forth from the follicle caused the bleeding. Another theory is that the estrogen rise during ovulation caused the uterine lining to shed a bit and cause a little spotting. This along with the cramping sensation is apparently an excellent fertility sign and means you are ovulating good and strong. Here is a list of the most common ovulation symptoms: Spotting Pain or cramping Increased sex drive Swollen vulvar area Abdominal bloating Water retention Increased energy Heightened sense of taste and smell Increased skin sensitivity (including breasts) What Can Prevent or Delay Ovulation? * Stress can delay your ovulation, making your entire cycle longer. What you believe is a longer menstrual cycle as a whole may simply be a longer first part of your cycle leading up to ovulation. Perhaps stress is delaying your ovulation each month. Of if your cycles are widely varying in length, perhaps you are experiencing more stress one month and the stress eases up the next. However you look at it, stress is not good for those trying to conceive. It causes imbalances in your hormones and can delay your ovulation date, causing confusion and frustration for you and your partner. * PCOS (which is discussed in the Common Problems Chapter) Illness can cause a delay in ovulation if it occurs during the first part of your cycle near your ovulation date. If you are charting your cycles closely, you should be able to still determine when ovulation occurs. Just realizing that illness may delay your fertile time a bit should help you to work through it and still maximize your chances for that month. * Extreme exercise is not good for fertility. Moderate exercise is helpful for stress levels and keeping hormone levels balanced, but extreme exercise can prevent ovulation and even mess up a woman s
cycles altogether. Some women who exercise to the extreme even stop all menstrual bleeding. Obviously, this is not what a woman who is trying to conceive would want. So if you re wanting to train for a marathon and get pregnant during the same time span, you will probably miss out on the getting pregnant part. Extreme physical training and trying to conceive do not go hand in hand. * Overseas or prolonged travel can hinder ovulation and getting pregnant in general. Basically, the reason for this is stress. Even if you re on vacation, travel is stressful. Stress is caused by any change, whether positive or negative. Weddings are stressful, wouldn t you say? Well, so is travel, especially if it s overseas or to a different time zone. Jet lag and changes in schedule can cause you stress, and stress can hinder ovulation. It s best to minimize lengthy or faraway trips when trying to conceive, especially when you know it will be a stress to you physically. However, many couples have conceived when going away to take a break from conceiving. Travel isn t bad for conception in itself. Just realize that it could hinder your ovulation timing, and be prepared for a potential delay. If you re taking time off from TTC, go for it and enjoy yourself! You just might find yourself pregnant at the end of your journey. I truly hope so!